House fire in Trenton closes Route 3

Firefighters use a chainsaw to cut through the roof of a house at 1172 Bar Harbor Road in Trenton on Wednesday afternoon after a grease fire spread throughout the house around 4 p.m. No one was injured in the blaze, which resulted in the highway being close to traffic for more than an hour, according to Trenton Fire Chief Richard Gray.

TRENTON, Maine — A house on Route 3 was severely damaged Wednesday afternoon in a fire that resulted in the highway being closed to traffic for more than an hour.

There were no reported injuries from the fire but the family who lives at 1172 Bar Harbor Road may have lost their cat to the flames, according to Trenton Fire Chief Richard Gray.

The fire was reported around 4 p.m. after a grease fire started in the kitchen while someone was cooking, Gray said. Standing on the side of the the highway while smoke was still coming out of the house, he said he did not know the names of the homeowners or whether the home was insured.

Because the house, located less than a mile from the causeway to Mount Desert Island, is near the highway, the road was closed to traffic around 4:30 p.m. and still was closed early Wednesday evening.

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The section of Route 3 where the house is located is the only road that allows cars and trucks to get on and off Mount Desert Island. Traffic on the Ellsworth side of the fire scene was backed up on Route 3 for about two miles while firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.

About 30 firefighters from Trenton, Bar Harbor, Ellsworth, Lamoine and Hancock went to the fire scene to fight the flames, according to Gray.

The house has extensive fire, smoke and water damage on both the first and second floors, the fire chief said. He said he was told the family would make their own arrangements about finding a place to stay.